As I’ve recently started full time work, I’ve started looking for some new snacks for either mid-morning (when lunch time hunger creeps in a bit early) or as an afternoon pick-me-up (when the lethargy kicks in).

I found this recipe for delicious bran muffins. The mixture goes a long way (I halved the recipe and it made about 15-20 muffins) and is really quick and easy to make. The smell of the muffins baking is to-die for and the taste is pretty damn good.

So here goes:

Ingredients:

1 packet of Bran Flakes (350g)

3 cups brown sugar

5 teaspoons of bicarbonate soda

2x 500ml carton of buttermilk. This can also be replaced with lactose free yoghurt or soy yoghurt. For a half recipe, I used 3x 140g tubs of vanilla lactose free yoghurt

This is by far my favourite dessert of all time. Given all my allergies, there aren’t too many delicious dessert options, so I’ve grown up eating my mum’s (Jackie’s) self-saucing hot chocolate pudding. And boy is it gooood. How can something that is nut free, dairy free and soy free taste so damn delicious? Go on, give it a try. It’s pretty easy to make too!

My birthday cake yesterday, made by my mum 🙂

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 cup self-raising flour

2 tablespoons cocoa

30 grams butter or margarine

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup soy milk / lactose free milk / cow’s milk / rice milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

¾ cup white sugar

Sauce:

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cocoa

1¾ cup hot water

Instructions for cake:

Sift flour, salt and cocoa.

Add white sugar and mix well.

Stir in milk, vanilla and melted butter/margarine.

Mix until smooth.

Spread evenly into a greased dish.

Instructions for sauce:

Combine brown sugar and sifted cocoa.

Sprinkle over the top of the pudding.

Pour the hot water over the top (I usually add the water gradually as otherwise it often overflows – add a cup at first, and then once it’s been cooking for a while, add the rest).

Bake for 180° for approximately 50 minutes.

For reference, in the image above, this recipe was doubled and served about 6-8.

Granola/toasted muesli is one of the number one things that nut Allergians miss out on, given that it almost always contains nuts (and when it doesn’t, it is almost always going to have been made in highly nut present surroundings).

Here is a homemade option – my mum’s recipe – which you can feel comfortable eating and which still tastes super delicious.

Ingredients:

Olive oil (or butter/margarine)

4 cups of rolled oats

4 tablespoons (or to taste) of honey/maple syrup

4 tablespoons (or to taste) of brown sugar

Toppings of your choice

Directions:

Heat frying pan with olive oil (or butter/margarine)

Place rolled oats in the pan, sprinkling a liberal amount of olive oil (or butter/margarine) over the oats

Fry the rolled oats on a high heat, continually mixing

Once the oats are cooked, add very runny honey/maple syrup and brown sugar